A charity fighting hunger in Langa received a bakkie from the Strategic Fuel Fund Association (SFF) on Monday.
The vehicle will help the Urban Rural Development and Capacity Building Project (URDCB) to deliver food and support to the needy, said the organisation’s project director, Pamela Nteyi.
A network of orphanages, homeless shelters, crèches, disability centres and charities relied on their food deliveries, she said.
“I am emotional because this is my late mother’s project. Nompumelelo Ngoqo wanted to make sure that people do not go to bed on empty stomachs. Her legacy lives on,” Ms Nteyi said.
“The bakkie that we have has been there for more than 20 years. It has been giving us challenges. There were times when it would get stuck on the roads. But those days are over. We are having a brand new bakkie. This is like a dream come true. We will not miss any appointments because we have a reliable bakkie.”
The SFF, a non-profit company, is a subsidiary of the state-owned Central Energy Fund and is responsible for acquiring maintaining, monitoring and managing the country’s strategic energy feed stock and carriers to ensure security of supply.
SFF stakeholders relations manager Dladlakazi Ntloko said: “The car is theirs, but we will follow it. It is an important asset that they should look after well. We trust that it will be used responsibly.”
Ward councillor Lwazi Pakade said the URDCB offered emergency food aid to those in need and deserved the donation.
“I have seen them struggling with their old van while trying to deliver food to people,” he said.
One of the URDCB’s beneficiaries, Teng-Teng Mabutho, said the organisation had saved her life.
“Had it not been for the founder, Mam’ uNgoqo, I would not have been here today. Maybe I would have died a long time ago because of hunger. That woman loved us poor. She always encouraged us not to take our medication on an empty stomach. I am grateful to her wherever she is in heaven.”
